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After the vote to extend the $1 tolls for another 20 years was nullified by a Baton Rouge Judge, the RPC became the advisory board for the Crescent City Connection.

Officials estimate it costs $60,000 a year to maintain the decorative lights on the bridge.

Sweeping on the bridge was discontinued as well.

The group that raised the money to install the decorative lighting on the bridge said an old document proves that the state should pick up the tab.

State Rep. Jeff Arnold said some of the language in the document leaves things open to interpretation.

"I think it's pretty clear in the document that the state did assume the responsibility of paying for the lights. The state has installed a whole new lighting system since the original document, so the argument is going to be between the state and the YLC about whether or not that alleviates their responsibility to continue paying for the lights or not," Arnold said.

The Young Leadership Council has raised money that they said would fund the lights temporarily. However, by law, the DOTD cannot accept money from a private group.

The Algiers Development District Board, which Arnold chairs, offered to step in as a middle man. The old document turned up when Arnold asked the Board's attorney, who used to work for the DOTD, if he had a copy of the decades-old agreement.

"You understand it might not be readily available, so the attorney went back to his office, and sure enough he found a copy of the document, at which point I forwarded a copy to both the YLC and Department of Transportation," Arnold said.

The DOTD said in a statement Wednesday that, "The act of donation states that the obligation is effective for the useful life of the lighting system, which was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and completely replaced using toll funds in 2006."

The statement states that the agreement is only permissible under applicable state and local rules and regulations. Therefore, based on the state law, which prohibits DOTD funds from being used to pay for decorative lighting, the agreement is no longer applicable.

Arnold said the Regional Planning Commission will meet next week, where he believes a vote will be taken to fund the lights temporarily, possibly up to a year.